Snippets
by CuteNeechan86
Summary: Ed and Winry expose their feelings, even when they can't be where the other is; especially because they can't be where the other is. Every chapter is a little glimpse into their minds or their lives after Shamballa. Sometimes related, sometimes not. Post CoS. I will keep adding chapters as they come to my head. All of them are less than 400 words, and the genre varies too.
1. I Across

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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**Snippet I. Across**

"Can you hear me?"

The blond girl was digging in her tool box. Her lack of response should have been enough of an answer for him, but he was always the stubborn type.

"Hey, Winry! Do you hear me?" his voice came louder this time.

The mechanic stopped for a second. She seemed startled, and was looking around to find the source of the noise she thought she'd heard. Nothing.

"Yes! I'm here! Please try to listen to me!" excited, Edward raised his voice even more. "Please listen to me!"

Winry frowned. Maybe she was going crazy after all the stress of the past years. Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her. Maybe she just missed him too much. A couple of tears slid down her face.

"WINRY!" Edward yelled. Last chance!

Winry was shaken again. "E-Edward?" she barely let out.

At the same time, in a place he liked to call 'the other side of the Gate', Edward sat on a couch with some wires connected to his body. On his left side, what looked like a blue lamp was glowing bright, and a man with thick glasses kept looking at him and then to his notepad, scribbling down any change in Edward's reactions, waiting for something big to happen. And then it did.

The lamp that used to glow blue started filling the room with a red light. The man with the glasses stared at the golden haired man in front of him and gawked in amazement. Right there was the sign he had been hoping for. It was subtle, but having known Edward for the last year, he could tell it was a big sign. After all, in all the 365 days they had worked together, not once had Edward smiled like he was smiling now.

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**Hi guys! Hope you like these little pieces :) Keep going if you do! R&R Please**


	2. II Unexciting

**Disclaimer: I still don't own a thing.**

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**Snippet II. Unexciting**

_Winry's PoV_

If I saw you again, I don't think it would be special. I don't think I would be surprised at how much you've changed. I don't think I would want to call your name. I shouldn't shiver at the uneven sound of your footsteps, first metal then flesh then metal again. The smell of oil coming from your limbs would not make my head spin, and your golden hair swaying with the breeze would not sway me. I bet your smile would still be toothy and too wide. I know your golden eyes would still hold all that pain disguised as pride. I wouldn't want to hear your shaky voice apologizing to me, or see your steady shoulders as you walk away. The usual hint of awkwardness whenever our hands touched would not make me blush and the firm hold of your arms whenever I felt like breaking would not make me feel protected and safe. If I saw you again, my heart wouldn't flutter and it wouldn't skip a beat. No. If I was to see you again, Edward, I know it wouldn't be special. Not special at all.

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	3. III Present

**Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.**

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**Snippets III. Present**

_Ed's PoV_

Miss you? I can't miss you. How could I? It's not that I don't want to admit it to Al, but I can't miss you if I see you every day, can I? He doesn't know that, of course, and if he did, he would think I'm whack, but it's all true. I see you whenever I cross any kind of machine. I hear your voice whenever a girl speaks. The sun reminds me constantly of your warmth and whenever the breeze moves my hair, I feel you move beside me. The smell of oil transports me to your workshop, and I can see you smiling to your own creations, face all covered in grease. I close my eyes every time a girl touches my arm, and blush when I imagine it's you. My heart flutters and beats strongly when I think I might've seen you on the street, and the tingling sensation doesn't leave even when I realize it's not you. When I see at my own reflection in the mirror, my golden eyes shift into blue and all I see is you. How could I miss you? That would be crazy. I'll never miss you.

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	4. IV Dream

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Not mine. Not mine.**

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**Snippet IV. Dream**

"I had a dream last night." The young Elric's voice was deeper than normal.

"Yeah? About what?" The older Elric didn't stop reading his book. The clue to _go back_ could be in the next paragraph, for all he knew.

"Well…it was about Winry." A faint blush spread on his face.

The sound of _her_ name made Edward more interested, but he kept reading nonetheless. He _was_ reading for _her_ after all.

"Oh, really? That's nice, Al." Ok, he could be more polite to his brother.

"Don't you wanna know what happened in my dream?" Alphonse's cheeks were still pink- shaded, his eyes fixed on the cover of the book blocking his brother's face.

Edward sighed. "If you are gonna tell me that you were dreaming we were back in Resembool, save it. I know that dream." No, he couldn't be more polite to his brother.

"No…well yeah…I mean we were back in Resembool, but that's not the important thing." Al stammered.

Now Edward was curious. What was making his brother so nervous? Unless… no, that couldn't be… could it? "Al… don't tell me you had that kind of dream with Winry!" He didn't mean to sound angry. Not at all. But his voice came out almost like a growl.

Al saw right through his brother "NO, BROTHER! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!"

When both golden boys relaxed, Al explained: "I saw her _AND_ you. And you were holding a little kid by the hand. And she was _very_ pregnant." His knowing smile was back.

Edward's eyes shut open like saucers.

"That would be nice, huh Brother?" Al relaxed on the couch, imagining another reality.

After recovering from the shock, Edward smiled widely. "Yeah, that would be great, Al." And he went back to his book. More eager than ever.

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**Some Elric time! Did you like it? R&R Please! :)**


	5. V Deception

**Disclaimer: Not even Al is mine...**

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**Snippet V. Deception**

_Alphonse's PoV_

The more he smiled, the more depressing it got.  
When we went grocery shopping: he smiled at the milk.  
If we went to the library, he would smile at the metallic door at the entrance.  
While walking on the street, there was always a stray dog to smile at.  
The sound of the cars' gears alone made him smile.

If my Brother couldn't admit he missed his mechanic, then fine! But staring at his automail hand for hours _or days_, **that** was driving me crazy! I couldn't stand seeing him in such low spirits, and trying all the time to appear happy and content with our destiny.

"I'm happy that you're here with me, Al" He would say. And "If all I had to do was sacrifice my previous life to get you back, then it was a good deal" as well. And I believe him, of course. I would've done anything for him too, but it being true didn't mean he wasn't hurting. I could see it in his eyes, past his smile. But every time I confronted him about it, all he did was deny. Deny and deny.

I tried to corner him, trick him into confessing, annoy him; I even talked about Winry one whole week to get a reaction. Nothing worked. Until one night, while I was doing laundry, an old picture fell from Edward's coat. For all the things I thought I knew about my big brother, I realized then that there was just one big truth: even if he was stubborn enough to hide himself from the world, at least he was honest with his heart. Winry's happy smile was shining from the piece of paper in my hands.

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	6. VI Radiance

**Disclaimer: Not in Amestris, not in Germany, not anywhere**

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**Snippet VI. Radiance**

_Amestris_

Every night I follow the same routine. After cleaning the workshop, I climb the stairs to my room, get off my jumpsuit, put on my pajama shorts, and brush my hair to get rid of any metal scraps attached to it. Granny comes to say good night, pats my head lightly and sighs. She knows my routine and leaves me to it. When I'm ready, I go to the balcony, and start flashing the same old lamp. I've been doing this for so long, I can't even remember a time when I didn't.

As always, I can hear the creek nearby, and I can smell the fumes from the train station far in the distance. I can feel the soft breeze and, right in front of me, I can see the hill where a house used to stand. Their house. I was determined to show those two thick-headed alche-geeks that my small house could be their new home, and so I started flashing the light every night. Maybe then they would remember to come back.

But the truth was, they never fully accepted that. _They had a debt_, they would say. _They couldn't live in peace_, they thought. They would never have a home again. Not after what they did.

_That was bull_, I believe.

Even after I saw them leave through that sort of portal, I still did what I knew I could do for them: keep a light on. Show them the way back home. Because I would always welcome them to the life I knew they deserved. Keep a light on. Lead the way. Keep the light on.

_Germany_

"What was that?" A confused Edward stopped his brother on the street. Unless it was his imagination, there was a small flashing light coming from a rooftop.

"What was what, Brother?" Alphonse tried to find what his brother was staring at, to no avail.

As soon as it started, it had stopped. The light was gone.

"N-Nothing Al, I think my mind was playing tricks on me." He smiled back to his brother. "Let's go. We have research to do."

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**:') It always goes through. How was this? Did you like this little one? **

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	7. VII Immovable

**Disclaimer: I don't own them in any universe.**

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**VII. Immovable**

"Come on, Edward! It's just one night! You might even have fun!"

The young Amestrian didn't stop his chore of the day. Winter was coming and they needed to chop some wood for the season. "I don't think so, Bastian. You can go with Al if you want to, but I'll stay. Got some reading to do."

"Oh, come on! Al, talk some sense into him!" The tall brunet turned to the younger Elric for support. Surely they could take a night off, and a gathering downtown was the perfect excuse.

"He's right, Brother. We need some rest from our work every now and then. _**You**_ need some rest." Al would do anything to see his brother well and healthy. Lately, he felt the black circles under his eyes were permanent, and his conversation was limited to monosyllables. Sometimes, the only thing that assured him that the former State Alchemist was still alive was the air making his lungs inflate and deflate. "It'll be fun!"

"It **WILL** be fun! It's settled! I'll pick you guys up around 7. The girls will go crazy when they see you there. Who knows? You could find your soul mate, man! I think that all you need is a woman to smile a little." With an energetic pat on Edward's shoulder, Bastian ran off. "See you tonight!" He yelled as he disappeared in the distance.

Alphonse stared at his Brother, looking for any reaction. "He might be right…if you try to mee-"

"I don't need to go to some pub to try to find my soul mate, Al." Edward interrupted, eyes fixed on his little brother. "I know I won't find it there because I know exactly where she is." With that, his golden eyes went back to the ax, and his wood-chopping resumed.

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**This title was kind of tricky. What do you guys think? R&R as always!**


	8. VIII Locked

**Disclaimer: Still don't own a thing.**

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**VIII. Locked**

_Ed's PoV_

I swear, if that girl comes to my house to make small and _awkward_ talk one more time, I'm gonna end up changing cities. This is all Alphonse's fault and he should be here to face the consequences of his actions, but he always manages to disappear a minute before Cecilia comes by. And I'm not stupid or clueless as he would think. I know what he's trying to do. Ever since Bastian brought up the 'get a woman' suggestion, Al has been trying- and not in a subtle way- to set me up with someone. Anyone.

His latest attempt was this Cecilia girl. She was nice, I'll admit, but we had nothing in common. She didn't know a damn about alchemy, or chemistry, or biology, or even history! Whenever she talked about dogs and dresses, there was nothing I could- or wanted to- add. The only time when I felt comfortable was when Al set us up at a small café near a wielding workshop. For the 20 minutes Al left us alone, I didn't hear a word. My mind drifted to the smell of melting iron, and the noise of metal clashing. I realized I was spacing out when Al elbowed my ribs. When the hell did he get there? I had no idea, but his elbow made me come back to the conversation. More like the monologue.

So, today I'm expecting she'll be here any minute now, 'cause Al is suspiciously gone and I have the worst luck. I'll yell at Al as soon as he gets home. He's gonna know that this Elric is not his toy! But for now, I'll just lock the doors and make sure to be completely quiet.

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**That's 8! Still more to come. Thanks for reading! :D**


	9. IX Aloof

**Disclaimer: Not mine :(**

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**IX. Aloof**

There should be rules against your best friend being a complete jerk to you. I mean, she could at least _try_ to _pretend_ she's listening to me, but NOOOOOO! I've been trying to get her attention for a good half an hour, and all I've gotten so far is a bunch of 'mmms' and 'uhs'. It's irritating!

"HEY WINRY!" I finally yelled inches from her ear.

"What? Why are you yelling at me?" She's looking at me like _I'm_ the crazy one, like _I'm_ the one who doesn't know what's going on.

"The point of us coming to Rush Valley was to get you out of your house, out of Resembool, and out of all your…memories." I huffed "But apparently I can't get you out of your head!" Jeez!

Winry smiled at me. I hate it when she does that, I can't get mad at her anymore. "I'm sorry, Paninya. I'm just…" I could see it in her eyes, and also in the way she moved. She needn't explain it to me.

"I know. But hey, we came here to have fun, right? Let's go have dinner, and talk to mechanics, and go to tool shops! This is not the time to be weeping around. Let's go!" And with that, I pull her to the crowd. Rush Valley is the most amazing place on the planet for this girl. I know as much as that. But that stupid ass of an alchemist is getting in the way all the time! If he had stayed here, where he was needed, my friend would be smiling and enjoying our day out. But of course, he had to play hero and disappear. From what Winry told me, he went through a hole of light or something like that, and even took his little brother with him. I mean, he didn't even say good bye to her! Like he didn't know how she felt about him. How she feels.

I swear, if he shows his face around here again someday, I'm gonna kick his ass. He better be ready.

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**So, Paninya can tell a story too, right? I'm trying to find other eyes to witness Ed&Winry's lives.**

**R&R if you can! :D**


	10. X Remorseful

**Disclaimer: Own this, I do not.**

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**X. Remorseful**

Stupid **Stupid** _**Stupid**_ Stupid _Stupid_ **Stupid** Stupid _Stupid_ Stupid

There were not enough ways to call myself a stupid, stupid, stupid alchemy geek who is so small that he needs a ladder to see an ant face to face. Maybe I should go get a wrench and slam it against my skull too. Hell! I should get myself beaten to a pulp just for how stupid I am!

She was right there. She even hugged me! If I had been brave enough, I would've returned the embrace and told her… What would I have told her? Just the thought of it made my insides quiver. There was nothing I could tell her that would make the situation any different. I still had to defeat the maniac threatening Amestris, and I still had to close the portal. I still had to fight to protect her. Nowadays, when I think about that day, I can be honest to myself: Seeing Al in his human body again was a relief, and knowing the world hadn't been destroyed by Dante was amazingly satisfying, but nothing compared to the feeling of seeing her again. It felt…I felt…full. Full and warm.

I had wanted to see her again. I had wished to hear her voice again. I had dreamt about her almost every night I had been in the other side of the Gate. And now, there she was. Winry was looking at me with her teary blue eyes, and there was nothing I could say to change what I had to do. So I said nothing. I didn't hug her back, though I was burning to do it. I didn't ask her to wait for me, 'cause I knew it wasn't fair.

It wasn't until I was back in this alchemy-free world behind the Gate, that I realized her earrings were in my pocket. She had known I would leave again, and had given me something to remember her by. She had given me a token of her love. For, now I could admit to myself, I was in love with her and knew she loved me back. We both knew, so we didn't need words. Nothing we could say would change anything. I was too stupid.

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	11. XI Numbness

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine :)**

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**XI. Numbness**

Something inside my granddaughter has changed ever since she came back from Central City with the amazing story of an Edward falling from the sky and a great military fight.

Before that Pipsqueak disappeared for the first time, she used to be really sweet and nice to her clients. All except one, that is. Edward had always been special for her, even when she didn't say it out loud. I've always known, of course, that it wasn't just because they had known each other from childhood, or that he was her first real client. There was always something between those two, in the way they always looked after each other, or cried for each other. I knew, but I also knew it wouldn't do any good to talk about it with any of them. And I must say I wasn't really surprised when Al mentioned it on one of their visits: 'My Brother loves Winry, doesn't he Auntie?' That boy had always been the smartest of all three _hehehe_.

However, when Shorty disappeared and Al came back home with no memories of his years as a Suit of Armor, Winry became irrationally volatile with her costumers. Every time one of them came with a malfunction, she would scold them; if the automail was damaged beyond repair, she would throw tools at them. It's amazing they stuck around, but of course she was their best- and only- option.

Now, she came back without Alphonse, and the yelling stopped completely. I've seen her working, and the passion is gone. No more all-nighters, no more scolding costumers, no tools are being thrown. It's almost like she knows she doesn't have to be ready to 'greet' him anymore. She's smiling with a new sense of calm, like nothing can make her mad. But of course, nothing can make her happy either.

I should know. She's my granddaughter, a _strong_ Rockbell woman.

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**Thanks, Granny Pinako :)**

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	12. XII Impulse

**Disclaimer: Chapter 12, FMA is still not mine**

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**XII. Impulse**

I swear I'm gonna kill Alphonse as soon as I get home. He's gonna die! It's gonna hurt! And I won't give my other arm and leg to bring him back this time! This is infuriating, and embarrassing in so many ways I can't begin to describe them. So I'm gonna get this done with and leave.

"Thank you for bringing me home, Edvward." She spoke my name with a funny accent.

"No problem." Cecilia was a nice girl, really. Al had said so plenty of times, and I didn't meant to be rude to her. I had accepted a date after many attempts from my little brother to set us up, but I had no intention of letting it escalate any further.

"So…did you have fun tonight?" she asked shyly. We were at the entrance of her house. The night was over, and I had a funeral to attend. The sooner, the better.

"Yeah, it was ok." I answered hurriedly. "It's late, so-"

The moment I tried to leave, 'nice girl' Cecilia pulled my shirt and pushed me on the door, her hands slowly climbing through my hair.

"I know it's not lady- like, but I really like you, Edvward." I gasped when she stared straight at me. "Do you like me?" I felt the heat rising to my face. I stuttered. Couldn't move. Her face was getting closer to mine, and her lips were inviting me. In a sudden rush, the only thing that came to my mind was a beautiful face, and warm blue eyes, and so I yelled in panic:

"I'M IN LOVE WITH MY MECHANIC!"

Which…I'm sure wasn't the brightest idea, 'cause I don't think there's any female mechanics in this country.

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**A funny one, for a change :)**

**Hope you guys like it. Please R&R **


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